Cryopods within the ARK universe are very helpful as they facilitate the transportation and storage of your creatures. However, in the vanilla version of the game, they have limitations that’s why the community has created various mods to address these issues. Below, we will see how cryopods work in the base game and how mods enhance their functionality. We present two of the most popular and complete mods to improve this function in ARK: Survival Ascended.
Cryopods are small objects that capture a creature inside, allowing you to transport or store them easily. You can find them in a supply drop or you can create them in a Tek Replicator – but you’ll need to be very advanced in the game to unlock it. Additionally, we need to create a Cryofridge in the same locations as the cryopods. With these two elements, you will be able to capture, transport, and store your creatures.
Despite all the convenience and ease they provide, cryopods have some disadvantages or inconveniences for players, primarily concerning the cryofridge. The main disadvantages are as follows:
It is believed that the time and area limitations of Cryofridges are intended for PVP servers and are seen as ways to balance the game mechanics on official servers.
However, for casual players seeking a more relaxed experience, these limitations can be annoying. Therefore, the community has created a series of mods that help you avoid these problems on your server and even enhance qualities and benefits that base cryopods do not have. That’s why we recommend the following mods that will allow you to enjoy and experience your ARK: Survival Ascended server to the fullest.
The mods we’ll mention next share the qualities of being able to release your creatures from cryopods anywhere in the world without needing the cryofridge, plus cryopods do not have an expiration time. However, they add very interesting storage qualities and above all, passive resource generation. In fact, both mods are very complete and have almost the same functions. However, one of them requires knowledge of the game’s .ini files to get the most of it. Below, we’ll show you the qualities of each of these mods in detail.
This mod allows you to edit and configure options related to cryopods and cryofridges, integrating three objects into the game. You’ll need to have reached level 51 to access the recipes for these objects.
A simple and straightforward pistol design used to launch cryopods and capture the desired creature. Center the creature and shoot to hold it captive in your cryopods until you need it. Remember that you need to have cryopods in your inventory to capture the dinos.
This is the name the mod gives to cryopods. They look similar to regular cryopods, except they are more rounded. It has the peculiarity of glowing in the color of the creature’s gender: pink for female, blue for male, and yellow for unidentified. Additionally, they have an activatable option to display a small hologram of the creature species inside them.
The terminal stands out for its multiple configurations and facilities. To access the mod’s settings, you’ll need to have the pistol in hand, hold down the R key to display a menu where you’ll select the administrator option. Here, you can activate or deactivate a series of functions that these cryopods and terminals offer you.
Once inside the menu, you’ll find a series of very interesting functions that we’ll see one by one.
The functions are divided into two columns, with activatable and deactivatable parameters on the left, and timers in seconds and the range of the terminal on the right. We’ll start with the activatable options:
When activated, this function also activates the Cryo sickness debuff.
This function allows the terminal to automatically capture babies within its range, provided it has SCS collections in its inventory.
This function allows you to capture your creature even if it’s in combat.
This function allows the terminal to automatically collect fertilized eggs.
This function allows the terminal to automatically incubate eggs.
With this function activated, you can gain experience by deleting dinos from the terminal’s inventory.
This function allows dinos within the terminal’s range to begin mating with each other.
When this function is activated, creatures within the terminal’s range become sterile automatically.
This function allows the terminal to capture all tamed dinos within its range, provided it has SCS collections in its inventory.
By activating this function, you can use the pistol to retrieve items from bags in the same way you catch dinos, but the items will go directly into your inventory.
This function allows the person releasing the creature to obtain its imprint, allowing creature trading.
When this function is active, it prevents creatures from appearing in important structures when they are taken out of their cryopod.
With this function active, flying creatures will appear on the ground when released from the cryopod, instead of flying.
This function allows the terminal to passively collect items generated by creatures.
This function allows the terminal to collect and store unfertilized eggs.
With this function active, creatures inside the terminal will generate feces.
This function allows stored babies to grow automatically and reach maturity.
This function automatically imprints babies collected by the terminal, saving you the trouble.
When this function is active and you have beetles in the terminal’s inventory, fertilizer will be generated automatically.
This function allows the terminal to distribute fertilizer from its inventory to nearby crops automatically.
This function allows tribes to receive a report of the dinos stored in the terminal.
On the right side, we’ll find options related mostly to timing. We’ll break down each of the options:
Determines the maximum area the terminal will have access to.
The time in seconds it takes to capture a creature.
The time in seconds it takes to capture a creature during combat.
the distance from which you can throw your cryopod to capture a creature.
The duration of the cryosickness.
The speed at which oviraptor eggs are collected and stored.
The speed at which eggs are produced within the terminal.
The speed at which feces are produced within the terminal.
The speed at which resources are produced within the terminal.
The speed at which babies grow within the terminal.
Additionally, we can access a terminal menu where we can activate and deactivate specific options. Here, we can find more specific options regarding fertilizer and poop distribution.
This mod does not allow you to make changes in a .ini file, so the changes that appear in these menus are the only ones you can make.
Dino Depot is very similar to the previous mod, allowing you to improve and control functions regarding the capture and storage of creatures within ARK: Survival Ascended. Let’s jump into the contents of the mod, the objects it adds, and the statistics we can edit.
Let’s start by describing the objects this mod has to offer us. A collection pistol called Dino Digitizer, a station called Depot Terminal, and the cryopods, which in this mod are called Dinoballs, which we can create individually and in groups of 20 spheres. We’ll talk a little more about each of these elements.
This is the tool with which we can save our creatures in the Dinoballs. It has a fairly wide range, and it’s worth noting that when we’re selecting a creature to capture, the creature gets a purple glow to indicate that we have it in our sights. Keep in mind that if the creature we capture has items in its inventory, these items will be transferred to your inventory automatically.
These small transparent spheres present us with a small hologram with the silhouette of the creature inside, as well as the name, level, and species displayed in a ring that crosses the sphere. This allows us to know what is inside when we have it in hand. It’s important to note that when releasing our creature, it doesn’t place it exactly where we aimed; it tends to move its position sideways. This is important to consider when releasing them in a certain order.
This is where the mod stands out, as it allows you to make a series of adjustments regarding the creatures you keep inside it. Allows you to continue obtaining resources from them and reproduce them on their own. We’ll see all this and more in detail.
First, we’ll show you the menu that appears when you approach the terminal and press E. Here, you can see an advanced search of the creatures stored within the terminal, which we can determine by gender, age, whether they are ready to mate, or if the imprint was made by the player.
By holding down E, a circular menu appears where we can see several options of our terminal. We’ll focus on the settings option, represented by the gear icon. In this settings window, we can find the default settings that the terminal offers us. On the left, we find resources from the creatures inside it that the terminal can store passively. In the center, we find the range of the terminal, and on the right, we see some options that we can activate or deactivate, as needed.
These options are:
Allows passive production of selected resources on the left.
Allows the production of fertile eggs.
Allows the terminal to capture any creature within its area, provided it has Dinoballs in its inventory.
Makes the terminal function as a tribute structure.
Allows the terminal to incubate eggs.
Allows separating fertilized eggs from infertile ones.
Activates the options accessible in the radial menu that appears when holding down E.
Although these are not the only features that we can configure, thanks to the fact that the mod allows you to edit its .ini files. In which you can manage the type of resources you want to obtain from the dinos within the terminal and every so often you will obtain them. It is recommended that if you want to make changes to this document you have prior knowledge to avoid operating problems. However, the creators have left us a complete document with all the options that you can edit within the mod on their CurseForge page. At the bottom you will find the configuration section, by clicking on the Google Drive link you will have access to the document with a total of 174 editable options from which you can choose and adapt to the needs of your server.
With these two mod options, you’ll be able to decide with confidence which mod you need to install to improve your experience with cryopods. Although both mods enhance gameplay, it’s up to you and your programming knowledge to decide which one best suits you. With Super Cryo Storage, the settings are predetermined from the start, and although there are many, you can’t customize beyond what the mod allows in the game. Meanwhile, with Dino Depot, you have the ability to enter the mod’s files and make much more specific and complete configurations. Venture to install either of these mods and discover their fantastic qualities on your own ARK: Survival Ascended server.
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Cryopod mods enhance or overhaul the base game’s cryopod system. While standard cryopods are used for storing and transporting creatures, they come with limitations—such as range, power dependency, and deployment cooldowns. Mods like Super Cryo Storage and Dino Depot expand on these features with passive generation, advanced automation, and flexible deployment mechanics.
Yes. Both Super Cryo Storage and Dino Depot support passive generation of items like eggs, poop, fertilizer, and custom resources. They also automate mating, egg incubation, and dino growth when configured correctly.
Once loaded, the items and structures from the mod will be craftable in-game. Some mods, like Dino Depot, may also require .ini customization for full feature access.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes. These mods remove expiration timers, allow global deployment without cryofridge, and bypass placement restrictions—making them ideal for casual, PvE, or private servers.
Absolutely. Dino Depot includes a full .ini settings document with over 170 editable parameters. You can adjust production types, timing, terminal behavior, and more. The configuration file is available via a Google Drive link on the mod’s CurseForge page.
Best ARK: Survival Ascended Cryopods Mods – Introduction
Cryopods
Popular Mods
- Super Cryo Storage
- Dino Depot
Best ARK: Survival Ascended Cryopods mods – Conclusion
FAQ – ARK: Survival Ascended Cryopod Mods
- What are cryopod mods in ARK: Survival Ascended?
- What’s the difference between Super Cryo Storage and Dino Depot?
- Do these mods support passive resource generation and automation?
- How do I install a cryopod mod on my ARK: Survival Ascended server?
- Can I use cryopod mods for auto-imprinting and growth?
- Which cryopod mod should I choose for my ARK ASA server?
- Can I compare dinos inside the cryopods in these mods?
- Do these mods bypass vanilla cryopod limitations like power requirements and expiration?
- Can I customize Dino Depot using .ini settings?